Pregnant women who drink alcohol heavily have a high risk of giving birth to children with growth retardation, congenital malformation and mental deficiency, i.e. the Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome. The abnormalities most typically associated with alcohol terratogenicity can be grouped into 4 categories: central nervous system dysfunction, growth deficiencies, a characteristic cluster of facial abnormalities, and variable major and minor malformations. The fetal development is dependent upon the proper function of the placenta. This organ which connects the maternal and fetal vascular systems, not only regulates the transfer of various substrates from mother to fetus, but also produces hormones and enzymes important for the maintenance of pregnancy. There have been many studies on the Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome, although few have been done on the placenta and, to our knowledge, placenta of alcoholic women has not been studied so far. The aim of this proposal is: (1) to investigate the influence of alcohol intake by the mother during and before pregnancy on the metabolism of the placenta; (2) to investigate the effect of alcohol intake of enzymes and hormones which may play a role in the disturbance of the normal course of pregnancy and embryonic development. The investigations on normal and alcoholic human placentas will be carried out in Israel and in Hungary. Recent statistics show that Hungary is third in the world in the frequency of alcoholism. Thirty percent of alcoholics are women. Therefore, part of our studies on alcoholic women subjects will be carried out in Hungary. Both term and first or second trimester human placentas can be obtained for experimental purposes without any legal obstacles. This proposed work is only the preliminary phase of a detailed study which will be submitted in due time.